Wednesday, March 9, 2016

The Wednesday Question (Brush Cleaning Confessions Edition)

Be honest: how often do you deep clean (not spot clean) your makeup brushes?

My answer: I would love to tell you that I deep clean all of my brushes three times a week, but that's just not the case. I am the spot cleaning master at this point, but deep cleaning? I would say that I do that about once a week. It's just such a production that I always find myself putting it off, especially if I'm spot cleaning after every use. But since I'm being honest here, I don't always spot clean every single brush after every use. I may use my blush brushes a few times (especially if I'm wearing the same blush several times in row) before I spot clean them. One brush that I ALWAYS deep clean with soap and water after every use is my gel liner brush. As most of you know, gel liners make the bristles hard and cakey when they dry, so it's sort of a necessity to deep clean those when you're done. I also never want to get pink eye or any other type of eye infection so no matter what, I deep clean those suckers as soon as I'm done using them.

31 comments

I'm so embarrased to admit this, but admission is the first step to recovery: I only deep clean about every 3 months or so. And I wear a full face of makeup 5-6 days per week! Luckily, I don't get breakouts or have any other signs that my brushes are too dirty. Or maybe not...then I'd be forced to clean more regularly. It is such a hassle...many times I have wished I coukd just pay someone else to do it!

This is a shame-free zone! Thanks for being so honest--that's exactly what I was hoping for in this post!

I used to let mine go way longer than a week, but I started getting minor acne flare-ups on my cheeks that I attributed to dirty brushes, so that was the impetus for me to starting deep cleaning once a week. Now, if I go longer than a week, I try to visualize little things growing and moving in between the bristles and that gets me off my butt. lol!

And I totally hear you about the hassle. I HATE deep cleaning, but buying new gadgets (like those silicone kitchenware products I reviewed last week) or a new brush cleaning solution really helps with motivation (at least for me). Basically, whatever works to keep myself motivated, I do. Plus, my makeup just seems to apply better when my brushes are sparkling clean, so that's another motivation. :)

I don't wear makeup as often as I used to so I don't use my brushes as often. I also got an Artis set and cleaning it is a breeze because you aren't supposed to wash the brush you clean it by wiping it with a special foam and microfiber cloth. Yet still my other brushes are neglected because I'm 1.Lazy and 2.I rationalize that they don't need to be cleaned because I don't use them as much. I need to get my life together.

I don't think deep cleaning does much to prevent breakouts - for that I think daily disinfecting of your brushes before you use them is more important, and I have always done that by just spritzing them with rubbing alcohol before I use them! I spray the alcohol on a tissue and then rub my brushes on them before I use them. It requires a bit of extra time (just a couple minutes) but I seriously do this every single time before I do my makeup. Even if you deep clean your brushes, I feel like without additional disinfecting each time you use them, they will probably be full of germs again in just a day or two because they touch your face, get your dead skin cells on there, especially if you're using liquid foundation , bacteria grows crazy in a liquid environment. So deep cleaning to me SHOULD be a more infrequent thing that happens when your brush just has too much buildup of product. And disinfecting should be as frequent as the frequency that you use your brushes. I deep clean every 3-4 weeks but I don't wear makeup that often. I remember Michelle Phan's old brush cleaning video where she claimed to wash her brushes DAILY. I was like LOL, ain't nobody got time for that!

I only deep clean or even spot clean mine about the same, every three months or so. I also am lucky to not have sensitive skin or notice any issues associated with this. I have found that when I do deep clean my brushes it can be harder to get everything out because of how long I've gone between cleanings. sigh! but I discovered that for the ones that are really stained and stubborn I just put a little micellar water on them (i use the waterproof garnier kind) and rub them on a soft towel, the stains come out like magic! I was so impressed with myself. lol

I wash mine probably once every 2 weeks. I know, not good, especially since I have acne prone skin that thinks we're still hitting puberty and needs to break out all the time. My problem with washing isn't getting all the grime and product out, it's getting all the soap out. For some reason, I just can't ever get it completely clear, even if I think it is, so I end up with nasty brushes anyway :( Someone needs to teach me how to do this correctly!

I love Dr. Bronner's bar soap for cleaning brushes - just get the brush wet and rub it on the bar of soap. It really gets them very clean and rinses well. I deep clean my brushes even less frequently too but I don't have issues with breakouts (I have acne prone skin) because I keep a small bottle of rubbing alcohol that I disinfect my brushes with right before I apply my makeup/foundation. Usually I just spray the rubbing alcohol on a tissue and then rub my brush onto the tissue and it dries within about 30 seconds since alcohol dries fast. Then you don't have to worry about germs from your brushes! Just like alcohol-based hand sanitizer kills 99% of germs. Most brush cleaning sprays are really just alcohol and fragrance anyway so you can save money by just using a small spray bottle that you fill with rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy. I used to use 90% alcohol but I realized 70% is just fine and probably less harsh on the brushes and my skin (sometimes I disinfect my fingertips with the alcohol before applying my skincare with my hands... lol)

Get a foaming hand soap pump! I had the same issue, but now I use an empty one from Bath & Body Works, and you just 1/4 soap to 3/4 water, shake it up, and then it's really easy to clean your brushes and rinse them!

I think that's the way to go! That's what I do too. Spot cleaning before each use is what is really gonna help prevent breakouts or skin issues (I disinfect with alcohol, which is what most brush sprays are anyway). Even if you wash your brushes once a week, if you use them daily I'm pretty sure by day 4 there will be plenty of germs on them if you never spot clean/disinfect!

I spot clean all of my brushes after use, but deep clean once a week. Well except my eyebrow brush which gets deep cleaned every two days, and my foundation brush which gets deep cleaned after every use.

Probably like once a month or so... eek! But I work from home so I don't wear makeup on a daily basis, so my brushes get used maybe just 2-3 times a week. I also spray my face brushes with alcohol to disinfect before I let any of them touch my face - I am obsessive about this. So although I don't deep clean the regularly, I am not concerned about germs since the alcohol will kill 99% of germs. The main benefit of deep cleaning for someone who does disinfect quickly like me would be getting product off brushes for better application, but like I said I don't use my brushes daily so it takes a while for them to really need a deep clean in that sense. Also I find most brush cleaning sprays like Sephora's for example, are really a rip-off because if you look at the ingredients they are just rubbing alcohol and fragrance! So I just stick to buying cheap rubbing alcohol at the pharmacy and use that as my brush disinfectant/spot-cleaner. Cinema Secrets brush cleaner works great too but it is mineral oil based so I don't use that on my face brushes because my skin doesn't like petrolatum/mineral oil. I find that works fantastic for spot cleaning eye brushes used for gel eyeliner or eyeshadow, or lip brushes, anything harder to clean that needs something oil based. When I do deep clean my brushes my recent favorite is using Dr. Bronner's Bar soap followed by a basic gel cleanser (my acne.org face wash which is a great value) :)

I just keep some dr bronners in a spray bottle and spray my brushes and rinse once a week. No fancy soap or silicon scrubbers here. I reuse eyeshadow,blush, powder, foundation, liner brushes all week long without a problem. Oops. I would never never never share brushes though, even if they were freshly cleaned. Yuckkkk.

I go way too long between cleanings, 3 months on average I think. In my defense, I don't wear makeup every day and my main applicators are my fingers. I recently started playing with cream contouring and blush with a beauty blender. That I need to deep clean after every use or it gets really gross really fast.

I've been able to work from home more, so usually I'm not doing any makeup on those days, unless I'm going to be out for awhile errands/shopping or going out in evening. But I've never been good about deep cleaning. In my younger years it never even occurred to me it was something I needed to do! :O

I really like the little brush egg...I think in the past year or two I had tried a textured silicone pot holder glove, but then it was covered in foundation and I just gave up on it...lol

I don't spot clean, but I like that idea about the alcohol so I think I may try that. Also like the idea of using one of the BBW foaming bottles with Dr Bronners. I had found I preferred solid cleanser, but there aren't many options and whether it is beautyblender's or Sephora or Japonesque, it is pricey. Of course I made bb's really last with my irregular cleanings! I have bought CEB Cosmetics solid brush cleanser on Amazon, it is 4 oz for about $20 incl shipping. I think they offer a larger size on their site. It seems just as good for brushes, but seemed like the beautyblender cleaned better with its own solid.

Bottom line is I am overdue to do this! I hate leaning over the sink, it just is murder on the back!

My powder brushes, if it is going back in the same color then nope. Anything dipped in cream or liquid, I own multiples of so I only have to wash once a week. My beauty blender I usually wash before using (BC I like using it wet anyway).

I don't do a lot of deep cleaning, really. I just use baby wipes that are unscented, or some other unscented wipe, and swirl the brushes on those and try to do it weekly. I figure it's better than nothing.

At first I didn't know brushes had to be clean. When I did find out I was washing them every week until I got up to twice a week. Now I clean them whenever I have chance which is 2 weeks. I do spot clean with Cinema Secrets, but the best way for me to clean them is with the blender cleanser, but I have to be in the mood to do it. Takes forever but it does make my brushes and bb like new. A good tip is to have music when cleaning your brushes. Makes the chore go by easier.

Include me in the 'not very often' boat! Gosh I think I can go a couple months without cleaning my brushes. I really don't worry about them that much. Though, I've always touched up with baby wipes once a week or less, and now I've started using the daily brush cleansers (I have the one from ELF), I'll use that maybe once or twice a week if I remember/have time or if my foundation brush gets particular gunky. I'm just gonna say it, I don't find it necessary to wash them THAT often. Some people panic about the cleanliness and bacteria build up and yada yada, I don't find it that big of a concern. It's not that bad.